hausler



May 8,1934. F. e. HAUSLER 1,958,241

ADJUSTABLE LIGHTER AND CUT-6F]? FOR BURNERS Filed Dec. 10, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l y 1934- F. G, HAUSLER 1,958,241

ADJUSTABLE LIGHTER AND CUT-OFF FOR BURNERS Filed Dec. 10, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO ATTO R N EY) Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Fred G. Hausler, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Cleveland Cooperative Stove Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 10, 1931, Serial No. 580,075

3 Claims. (Cl. 158117.1)

This invention relates to a thermostaticallycperated valve for controlling the flow oi fluids consequent upon changes in temperature and is particularly adapted for use as an adjustable pilot light for gas ranges, heaters and the like.

One of the objects of the present invention is to maintain a substantially constant pilot flame on the pilot burner. v

Correlative objects are to vary the intake flow of gas to the pilot burner in an inverse ratio to the line pressure and to maintain a suflicient flow of gas through the pilot under varying line pressures to prevent-reduction of the pilot flame to a size at which it is apt to be extinguished by slight drafts and the like.

M Another object is to maintain a comparatively large flow of gas or fuel to the pilot burner for purposes of lighting and to reduce automatically the flow of gas to the pilot after the pilot becomes and remains ignited for a short interval of time.

Another object is to cut oif the flow of fuel to the pilot automatically if the pilot flame becomes and remains extinguished for a short interval.

Another object is to effect operation of the pilot independently of the temperature of the service burners of thestove or heater.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following specifi- Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional vievr of the pilot burner.

illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 and is taken on a plane indicated by the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional viewof one of the bimetallic thermostat elements and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the operating lever.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, the pilot comprises a body 1 having a bore 2 communicating with the usual source of gas for burning in the pilot. A suitable connection between the body 1 and the gas feed conduit may comprise a shell element 3, screw fitted onto the body 1 and tapped to receive a feeder conduit 4 which connects the shell 3 to a main feed line 5 of the gas range through 55 a suitable fitting '7. Mounted on the body 1 is'a flanged sleeve 9, the sleeve-having coaxial communicating bores 10 and 11 of different respective diameters adapted to receive a movable plug 12 which acts both as a valve and burner head of the pilot. The shoulder resulting from the different diameters of the bores 10 and 11, is bevelled to form a seat 13 complementary to a seat on the plug 12. The plug 12 is contracted at one end, forming a neck 15, the neck being received in the bore 11 for slidably mounting the plug for axial movement therein. The plug head 16 is snugly received in the bore 10, substantially filling the bore and preventing passage of gas between the walls of the plug head and bore. Within the bore 11 is a longitudinally extending slot or passage 18 which permits passage of gas from the bore 2 around the neck of the plug, this passage communicating with the bore 10 below-the seat 13. The plug 12 is tapped with a longitudinal axial bore or duct 20 which opens or vents at the top of the plug and extends downwardly through the head 16 and the neck 15, and communicates with the interior of the bore 2. This arrangement permits passage of gas from the shell 3 and bore 2 through the duct 20, whereby it is discharged at the top of the plug head for buming. This communication is maintained regardless of the position of the plug. When the plug is in the raised position above the shoulder 13, the passage 18 conducts gas into the bore 10 beneath the plug head. Within the plug head are ducts 24 which open at their lower ends into the seating area of the'plug and which extend upwardly toward the upper end of the plug. Near the top of the plug, diagonal ducts 24a may be provided. These ducts communicate with the ducts 24 so as to direct the gas therefrom out wardly from the pilot plug. However, the ducts 24 may pass directly to the upper surface of the head or into the duct 20, but such is not as efiective as the arrangement shown. It is apparent that such an arrangement as described provides a larger flow of gas out of the pilot plug when .the plug is in a raised position and the head unseated, as an additional means of communication for gas is afforded through the ducts 24 and 24a. This larger flow continues until the plug is lowered sufllciently to seat on the seat 13, in which position it seals the ducts 24 and immediately reduces the flow of gas through the 5 pilot.

As set forth in the above objects, it is desirable to control automatically the flow of gas to the pilot so as to provide a large flow for the purposes of lighting the pilot and then to reduce the flow -in the flame. In order to eliminate this materially when the pilot is ignited or when for other reasons, the pilot flame has become too intense. It is equally desirable to increase the flow of gas 'to the pilot if, for any reason, the flame becomes too small, the safety of operation being clearly enhanced by maintaining the flame as nearly constant as possible under varying line pressures or other conditions. For accomplishing this purpose automatically, I provide a plurality of thermostatic bars in the nature of bi-metallic levers 25, shown in section in Fig. 5, the lower ends of which are fixedly secured to a stationary part of the burner, for example, to the flange of the sleeve member 9. The upper or free ends of the levers 25 are connected to the plug 12, a suitable connection being afforded by means of a rigid yoke 27 secured to the plug head 16 by squeeze-fitting the yoke thereonto or otherwise. The free ends of the levers 25 are pivotally connected to the arms of the yoke. Other suitable means of connecting the plug head and levers may be used, however.

In the form illustrated, the levers are bowed inwardly toward the plug head and lie in close proximity to the pilot flame. The bi-metallic laminations of the levers 25 are disposed so that upon heating of the levers the upper portions thereof will tend to curl back and downwardly a greater amount, thus forcing the plug head downwardly for decreasing the flow of gas therethrough as explained. Similarly, if the flame becomes too low, due to a change in line pressure, the levers return toward their original position and lift the plug head to increase the flow of gas. When cold or at normal room temperatures, the levers maintain the plug in the lifted position so that a large flow of gas is\provided for facilitating lighting of the pilot.

To adjust the amount of flow of gas through the duct 20, a suitable needle valve screw 26 is provided in the neck 15 for varying the passage through the duct 20, the screw 26 being positioned sufllciently' far below the head 16 so that it will not engage the sleeve and prevent the head rising to its fully open position.

Since the ducts 24a slope outwardly from the plug head, the gas is directed toward the thermostatic levers 25 so that the flame is-brought into contact therewith for causing more rapid heating and operation of the levers, suflicient air being provided through the conduit 51, later to be described, so that the gas burns to a blue flame. The levers very quickly react to this large and intense flame so as to operate the plug head for reducing the size thereof.

If the flatwise width of the levers 25 is considerable, the air tends to rush in toward the flame around the levers, thus flattening the flame on the open sides and causing .it to spread fanlike against the levers. The mixture of air and gas resulting under these circumstances causes an inefficient pilot flame which results in poor combustionand deposition of soot and carbon on the levers, thus partially insulating them and decreasing their responsiveness to the changes tion of the thermostatic levers. It should be noted that the levers 25 are positioned adjacent to but not in the pilot flame so that they are not constantly subjected to the direct flame which would ruin them after a few hours operation.

The entire pilot and operating mechanism is covered with a suitable cap 29 having openings 30 for permitting the passage of the pilot flame to the service burners. The firing tubes 32 extend from the passages or openings 30 radially outwardly to the respective burners, each terminating close to one of the arms 8 of the burner with which associated. The arm 8 is drilled, as indicated at 33, to permit passage of a stream of gas into a feeder pipe 34, mounted in the firing tube. The gas in the firing tube is ignited by the pilot and flashes through the tube and over the vents 36 of the service burners and ignites .the gas issuing from the same. In many cases, it is desirable that the supply of gas to the pilot be out off when the pilot is extinguished in any manner or by any extraneous means, such as drafts and the like.

To provide for such emergencies, a cutoff valve operated by the pilot may be used. An economical arrangement for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein a disc 40 is sealed between the lower end of the body 1 and a suitable shoulder in the top of the body 3, the disc 40 thus forming a partition wall and being provided with a central bore 41 about which is a seat 42. A pin 43 is secured in the end of the neck 15 of the pilot plug, the pin being coaxial with the neck 15 and extending downwardly through the passage 41 so as to permit the flow of gas through the passage 41 around the outside of the pin. A valve head 44 is carried on the end of the pin, this valve head being adapted to seat on the seat 42 for sealing the passage 41 when the plug is raised to its extreme position by the thermostatic levers 24. The pin is sufliciently long so that the head 44 does not seat during partial raising of the pilot plug but seats only when the plug is raised to its extreme position. Thus, if the pilot flame becomes extinguished, the thermostats operate to fully raise the plug and the pilot automatically seals the supply conduit thereto and prevents further escape of gas. When this type of pilot is used, however, an operating device must be provided to depress the pilot plug to permit a flow of gas for lighting the pilot. As better illustrated in Fig. 6 such an operation may be performed by means of a rotatable shaft 46 having alever or cam'47 adapted to be swung into engagement with the top of the plug and to depress the same consequent upon rotation of the shaft in the-direction indicated by the arrows. A suitable spring or preferably a gravity return means, such as the lever 47a and the ball weight 47b, are provided for returning the lever arm 47 out of contact with and away from the plug head to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6.

Regardless of the particular form of pilot used, better control may be obtained by rendering the pilot operable consequent upon the heat emitted by the pilot flame only, and not by any heating caused by the service burners of the range or heater. This is especially true in a case of closed top stoves; for example, if the stove temperature is 900 Fahrenheit, the pilot should cut or! about 900, thus there is no danger of the stove heat becoming so intense that it cuts 01! the supply of gas, nor is there danger that quite an interval will elapse before the thermostat cools iii sumciently after the pilot is extinguished before it operates to cut oif the supply of gas.

Therefore, I prefer to provide communication for the outside air through the shell 29 so as to maintain therein a cooler volume of air which will dissipate the outside heat radiated by the range. For this purpose, the conduit 51 above mentioned extending to the rear of the stove for the inflow of air and discharging into the shell 29 is provided. The shell 29 may be covered with the usual insulating materials to better accomplish this purpose. The thermostat being in close proximity to the pilot flame is operated entirely by the heat therefrom, and due to the inflow of fresh air a clean burnin pilot is provided. As a result, there is much less danger of deposit of carbon on the thermostatic levers and less danger of the pilot becoming extinguished due' to delayed action of the levers. The inflow of air through the conduit 51 is of course assisted by the heated rising air or products of combustion from the pilot flame'and is drawn out the top vent in the shell or through the firing tubes where it is consumed by and increases the efficiency of the service burners.

Having thus described my invention, '1 claim:

1. A pilot burner comprising a hollow body adapted for connection with a source 'of fuel. a plug mounted in said body and having a duct for passage of fuel from the interior of said body through said plug for supplying fuel to a pilot flame, said plug being movableinwardly and outwardly of said body, means operable consequent upon said movements of the plug for varying the flow of fuel to said flame, thermostatic means in heating relation to the flame for moving said plug inwardly and outwardly, and a partition wall in said body having a passage therethrough for passing fuel to the duct, a valve seat around said passage, a stem on said plug extending through said passage and beyond said seat, a

' closure disc on said stem on the opposite side of the wall from said plug, said disc being movable with the plug and seating on said seat consequent upon movement of said plug by said thermostat a predetermined distance.

2. A pilot burner comprising a hollow body member having a fuel inlet adapted for communication with a source of fuel and a plug member, one of said members having a duct for passing fuel from the body member to the burner for supplying a flame, said plug member being cooperable with the body member to increase and to decrease respectively the flow of fuel to the flame when the plug member is moved in opposite directions to predetermined respective positions, a stem on the plug member extending interiorly of the body member, a wall in said body member having an opening therethrough for admitting fuel from the inlet to the flame, a valve disk carried on said stem and cooperable with said wall to close said opening consequent upon movement of the plug member a predetermined distance in the direction of travel for increasing the flow of fuel to the flame and operable to unblock said opening consequent upon movement of said plug member a predetermined distance in the direction of travel for decreasing said flow of fuel to the flame. and thermostatic means responsive to the heat of the flame and connected to the plug member and operable to move said plug member in the said direction for decreasing the flow of fluel to said flame when heated to a predetermined temperature and in the direction for increasing the flow of fuel to said flame when at a predetermined lower temperature.

3. A pilot burner comprising a hollow body member having a fuel inlet adapted for communication with a source of fuel and having a passage communicating with the interior thereof and with the outside, a plug member within and movable axially along said passage, a duct in one of said members communicating with the interior of the body member and with the atmosphere operable to pass fuel from the interior of the body member to a flame of the burner, a supplemental duct in one of said members operable to pass additional fuel from the body member to sa d flame. the said members being cooperable to block said supplemental duct when the plug member is moved in one direction axially along the passage a predetermined distance, and to unblock the supplemental duct when the plug member is moved in the opposite direction a predetermined distance, a wall in said body member having an opening operatively disposed intermediate the inlet and said ducts operable to admit fuel to said ducts, a stem on said plug member protruding beyond the inlet side of said wall, a valve disk carried on the protruding end of the stem and operable to close said opening when the plug is moved a predetermined distance in the direction of travel for unblocking said supplemental duct, and to unblock said opening when the plug member is moved a predetermined distance in the opposite direction, and thermostatic means responsive to heat of the flame connected to the plug member and operable to'move the plug member in the direction to block said supplemental duct when heated to a predetermined temperature and in a direction to unblock the supplemental duct upon cooling to a predetermined lower temperature.

FRED G. HAUSLER. 

